Justice served does not have to mean prosecuting

How to get involvedTo volunteer to be on a panel or for more information, call Deferred Prosecution coordinator Kelli Jackson, 815-319-4700.

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How to get involved

To volunteer to be on a panel or for more information, call Deferred Prosecution coordinator Kelli Jackson, 815-319-4700.

ROCKFORD — The program name is Deferred Prosecution.

The goal is to keep convictions off a first-time, nonviolent offender’s record.

The benefits are numerous.

Members of the Winnebago County state’s attorney’s office hosted an informational meeting Thursday in the Winnebago County Courthouse.

The key components of the program are offenders willing to accept responsibility for their actions and community volunteers willing to serve on a panel that will meet monthly to screen for eligible offenders and make a recommendation of requirements for the offender to complete, such as community service, obtain a high school diploma or GED, seek counseling, write a letter of apology to the victim or pay restitution.

“If we are successful, in theory, we are giving them the necessary tools so that they do not come back into the court system,” Assistant Deputy State’s Attorney James Brun said.

The program is modeled on Kane County’s 18-year-old Deferred Prosecution, which boasts more than 5,000 participants and an 80 percent successful completion rate, more than $2.3 million in restitution paid to victims, and more than 400,000 hours of community service served, state’s attorney’s office spokesman Chris Nelson said.

Brun said first-time, low-level, nonviolent offenders can be recommended to the program by the prosecuting or defense attorney or a judge.

If accepted, the offender will be asked to make a videotaped confession admitting to their involvement in the crime.

Defendants may have to participate in the program for six months to a year. Once they have completed the program (fulfilling the outlined requirements and not committing any more offenses), the state’s attorney’s office will dismiss the pending charge.

Tommy Meeks, who works at the county’s Resource Intervention Center, came to the meeting to learn more about the community panel. He said a criminal conviction can be a death knell to anyone seeking employment or wanting to enter college.

“Can you imagine having something on your record where everywhere you go, they tell you, ‘No’ because of your past? It’s a tough situation for a person to be in. This is a chance to stop it early.”

The program is not taxpayer-supported. Participants will be required to pay a $50 application fee and $1,000 program fee, which will go into the county’s general fund, Brun said. The program fee cannot be applied toward educational or counseling costs or restitution.

Before the meeting, State’s Attorney Joe Bruscato said the program benefits not only the offender, but frees up court personnel and the jail system.